Supermarket sport sponsorship: don’t get left on the shelf

This competition is being primarily driven by the rise of online shopping and the discounters (e.g. Aldi and Lidl). According to industry experts IGD, they are set to be the two fastest-growing areas over the next few years – accounting for about half of total market growth – which means supermarket sport sponsorship could come increasingly to the fore.

Whilst the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in record sales (surpassing Christmas which is always the busiest time of year) gaining market share remains very difficult due to this competition, particularly for the larger stores of the “big four.” Not only do these face the twin threats of online and the discounters but also from the convenience sector as consumer purchasing habits shift from “the big shop” to “little and often”, primarily driven by younger shoppers.

In an effort to appeal to shoppers and drive front of mind and, ultimately footfall, supermarket sport sponsorship has focused on those with large and diverse audiences such as football and athletics. However, it feels like the larger players are doing less in this space than a few years ago. A further challenge for some of the industry is that supermarket sponsorships have revolved mostly around governing or organising bodies rather than individual clubs or teams.

However, the two key themes publicly cited around supermarket sport sponsorship – promoting more active lifestyles and supporting local communities – have never been more relevant and clubs hit both of these needs head on.

This increasing demand from consumers to be more socially active and responsible combined with the increasing market competition mean it’s a great time for sports rights holders to engage with the supermarkets, particularly as sport’s digital audiences and channels are a natural conduit to drive online shopping. For supermarket sport sponsorship to rise, rights holders need to ensure that these are staple offerings of any pitches, topped up with creative activation ideas, so that grocery marketers limit shopping elsewhere for consumer attention.

Supermarket sport sponsorship is the latest in our new series of caytootarget™ reports designed specifically to help rights holders save time and resource when it comes to overcoming their key pain point – identifying viable target brands and hitting the right decision-makers with relevant and compelling proposals. We’ve covered areas including:

• Health insurers
• Online investment platforms
• Electric cars
• Challenger banks
• New brands launching in the UK
• Quick Service Restaurants & Food Delivery

For more information visit caytootarget™. If you’re interested in the supermarket sport sponsorship or any of the other reports, email jeremy@caytoo.co.uk to get your first one free.